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by TheMusicKnows
Summary: Title of this story subject to change: When Archie and Lexie return to Glenbogle things are not the same as when they left. Some unexpected things occur and test the relationship of Archie and Lexie, as well as the rest of their family is pushed to the absolute limits! Would appreciate a read and review
1. Chapter 1

Prologue:

Archie walked down the hall of Glenbogle house. He had once thought that he would never walk down this hall again. Nepal had been wonderful all those years ago. He had reconciled with his sister. Something which he never thought he could do. It helped with reconciling with his father as well. For the first time since Jamie's death, and more recently his father's death Archie felt a glimmer of hope and peace in his heart. Then when he moved to New Zealand he never thought he would return to Glenbogle. Not after he handed over his lairdship to Paul.

Yet here he was, Lexie too. They had moved back just under six months ago and found that things had changed since he left all those years ago. Though he was never at Glenbogle when Donald was there he knew from what his brother said that he was a nuisance. He had left about a year ago to do some travelling before he settled down for the rest of his life. He died shortly after he left touring the outback of Australia.

Ewan and Amy moved away some years ago so that they could both further their education and career and never came back to Glenbogle. Though they never told Paul, neither of them wanted to return to Glenbogle for it wasn't really great place for two artistic young lovers.

His brother was married to a shepherdess, his mother married to Golly. Duncan and Jess were in a solid relationship and Cameron made the days interesting. Having just started school Golly was turning into the proudest father in the Glen and Molly stood happily by his side. Cameron was after all was her step son. When Golly and Molly finally got married she took her responsibilities as Cameron's motherly figure very seriously.

And that basically summed up his family. This old relic of a house harboured many memories for him. Where he was born, where his brother and father died, where married his beautiful wife, and most importantly where he returned with his wife, to start his new life.

He had it all planned out in his head, his brother would be the laird, just like he was supposed to be, he wouldn't have any of the pressure but he could work on the estate and earn his keep in his house. He could move on with his life and with his wife. Everything was going to be perfect.

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1:

Paul walked into his bedroom to see his wife Iona looking out the window. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a braid and hung down the centre of her back. On one side of her Paul could see some dark hair that matched Iona's and to some extent his own and on the other e could see two little feet with blue socks on.

A smile instantly came to his face, there was nothing he enjoyed more than seeing his wife with his son. He walked over to her and put his hands under his son and around his wife, looking over her shoulder down at the small baby which she was feeding.

'He couldn't sleep. I thought maybe a feed would relax him,' Iona said as she turned to speak to her husband. She looked into his tired eyes, knowing that yet again he was working too hard. The small amount of silver hair mixed in with his brown hair was an indicator of that.

'Didn't he only go down for his nap an hour ago?' Paul asked. Lately his son had been acting up. Molly had assure the relatively new parents that it was nothing to be worried about, just a growth spurt and all children went through it.

'Yes, and he fed. Molly must be right, he is eating more at the moment, but something is just unsettling him. It probably sounds funny. Maybe it's just the growth spurt.' She said her eyes returning to her son as his little blue eyes began to close.

When he finally fell asleep she passed their baby carefully to her husband who placed him in his cot on Iona's side of the bed and then followed his wife out of their room to let him sleep.

'Paul you are working too hard.' His wife said after she closed the door behind her. The birth of their son Ashley, combined with the added pressure of Archie and Lexie returning was taking a toll on her husband. She knew he would never admit defeat but he was tired and stressed and it wasn't getting any easier for him.

'I'm fine, it's nothing I can't handle.' He said, his tone firm. Iona looked into his eyes, knowing that eventually he would break and tell her what was really wrong, and she wasn't going to admit defeat either.

'Paul tell me, I simply cannot let you go on like this!' she cried.

'Fine.' He finally relented knowing that he wife would win the argument no matter how stubborn he was, that was just the dynamic of the relationship. She would always win. 'I had hoped that when Archie returned he would resume some of the laird's duties, but instead he seems to want to do anything but the duties of a laird. He helps Duncan, Golly, works at the Adventure Centre and the Wild Animal Centre. But when it comes to running this estate he does nothing,'

Iona gave a small sigh. She knew that the return of his half-brother had been difficult for Paul. He had thought that when Archie returned that his place in Glenbogle would be filled by the legitimate son of Hector Naismith Macdonald. Instead Archie had done nothing to take up his old position in the slightest. The exact opposite of what had Paul that thought would happen.

Consequently with more people now at Glenbogle it seemed like there was more for Paul to organise. And since Archie had arrived Iona had given birth to their first son and things had gotten even harder for Paul, yet Archie still didn't offer any help regarding the lairdly duties.

'Have you tried speaking with him?' Iona questioned her husband.

He shook his head and Iona wondered why she was surprised. It seemed like the illogical thing to do. Push the problems to the side. Knowing the Macdonald boys it would result in an explosive argument since they both had inherited their father's hot headed nature and one brother was too proud to ask for help from the other.

'Well if you won't speak to him then that's your mistake. He is your brother and the ex-laird. You and Archie need to sort it out together.'

Paul nodded and Iona walked off making a mental note to talk to her sister in law about it.

[x]

Every time Lexie stepped foot into the kitchen it made her smile. So many things happened in there. She thought of the time Molly read her tea leaves, the time Archie proposed and how this kitchen had saved her life. If Molly hadn't taken her in she would never had met her family and her life would have been very different.

Glenbogle had no cook and the family was on a rooster to cook and clean. Some choose to change their jobs with others, Lexie managing to cook a dinner most nights and not having to clean much, as Molly, Golly, Duncan and Paul could not cook to save themselves. So the cooking mostly feel on her and Archie, Iona and Jess being the ones who could cook in the big house.

The meals they ate now were different to the ones that she used to make. They had settled for the standard one course meal which meant people would not have to spend the entire day in the kitchen. But Lexie didn't mind. The Kitchen was something she knew.

When she want in the kitchen she would be working with Archie in the Adventure Centre and the Wild Animal Centre, or walking around the estate revisiting the places she loved so much. She was planning on taking Archie up to where they were married to a moonlight picnic to spend some time alone.

That was one thing they could get in New Zealand that was hard to get here – alone time. Though she missed it, she liked being back in Scotland. Something about this place soothed her which was good considering there was something that was unsettling her a lot…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2:

Archie walked into the dining room to see his wife and mother sitting there already. He noticed that nobody else was there yet. Paul and Iona were probably upstairs with Ashley. In the past few days he had been restless and Archie knew his brother and sister in law were feeling the effects. But that didn't explain where Jess, Duncan and Golly were.

'Mother where are the others?' He asked, pulling out the chair and sitting down beside his wife. He placed his hand on her knee and smiled at her.

'Well, Paul and Iona are sleeping while Ashley sleeps. Golly and Jess went to meet Duncan at the Wildlife centre. Duncan called earlier this morning to say one of the Wolves was injured. Golly and Jess went to meet him there to decide what to do next.' Molly looked at her son and his wife, the only thing that was familiar to her with the exception of Golly and Duncan. She sighed. Of the people who spent the most time in the house the four she had known for the longest spent the least time in the Big House.

She had nothing against Jess or Iona, she had known them both now for a long time, and it was just that they seemed to remind her that Hector was no longer around. And Paul, though she had moved on reminded her that the one she was in love with had betrayed her. She had moved on since Paul first appeared in the Glen but some days when Golly wasn't around much her memory got the better of her.

Archie coughed, harshly bringing Molly back to reality. 'Sorry Archie. They should be back soon.' She said. Then she picked up her plate and walked in the direction of the Kitchen.

When she was gone Archie turned to his wife and gazed into her eyes. 'Archie, what are you doing?' Lexie asked.

'Just gazing into your beautiful eyes' he said 'they seem to get more beautiful every day.' He moved his hand up her leg until it met her hand that was resting mid-thigh. He took it and clasped her hand in his own.

'Archie, don't be silly. My eyes look the same as they did yesterday.' She gave his hands a small squeeze. 'Arch can I talk to you?' Lexie looked down unable to look into his eyes.

'Lex, do you even need to ask?' Archie said, trying to keep the worry from his voice. Lexie had never asked if she could talk to him before. And to add to that Lexie didn't look at him when he spoke. Archie had no idea what was happening or what was going to happen.

'It's just that I don't know how to tell you.' She said. Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper.

'Lexie, surely you can' Archie began before he was interrupted by his brother who walked into the kitchen.

Lexie mouthed 'Later' and kissed him on the cheek before getting up and walking out, waving to Paul as she passed him.

When she had left the kitchen she sighed. She had mentally prepared herself to tell Archie then, but Paul had come along and made it so that she could not tell her husband anymore. She would have to prepare herself again. Unsure of what to do next Lexie decided that she would head up to her room and get ready for the day. On the way to her room she passed Ashley and heard him crying. She opened the door and saw her nephew lying in his cot and no one else in the room. She knew Paul was downstairs that Iona was probably exhausted so she went over to the little baby and picked him up in attempt to calm him down. She cradled him in her arms, but the unsettled baby would not stop crying. She kept trying with him, not wanting to get Iona if she could help it.

After what seemed like a long time he finally settled, falling asleep in Lexie's arms. Relieved that she didn't have wake Iona Lexie turned to walk out the door, only to see her sister in law standing in the door way. She smiled, seeing her son in her Lexie's arms.

'Sorry. I hadn't notice him crying, I couldn't hear him I suppose I am so exhausted the sound got past me.' Iona's voice was quiet in attempt not to wake her son.

'It really isn't a problem.' Lexie said as she carefully placed Ashley back into his cot and made her way towards Iona and the door. When she made it she began to pull the door shut, but a loud creak stopped her from making it the whole way. Lexie and Iona both froze and looked at each other, hoping that Ashley would not wake.

They both heaved a sigh of relief when he continued to sleep and Lexie murmured 'I will get Duncan on that when he returns.'

Iona nodded. 'Lexie, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment.'

Lexie nodded. That was exactly what she had said to Archie at the breakfast table this morning, not that long ago. She had a funny feeling they were not going to be sharing the town gossip, but something more difficult…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3:

Lexie looked at Iona, worried at what she was going to say. She look at Iona waiting for her to speak.

'I wanted to talk to you about Paul and Archie. I know he doesn't want to tread on Paul's feet but it would help him a lot if Archie took some of the responsibilities of being a Laird.' Iona said as they both began to walk in the direction of Lexie and Archie's room.

'I don't think it's that simple Iona.' Lexie said. 'Having said that I will speak to him, but I'm not sure he wants to.'

'Surely when he decided to come back he knew something like this would happen.' Iona said stopping the hallway.

'It wasn't his choice to come back to Glenbogle. I wanted to come home. I missed Scotland. He came back because I asked him too. When we moved to New Zealand I don't think he ever intended on coming home.' Lexie said. She remembered the day he told her he wanted to leave Glenbogle. It had broken her heart, but she followed him anyway. Then she had come back to Glenbogle for a while. Their marriage suffered for the first few months and Lexie had thought she would be able to clear her head in Scotland. Instead in a spur of the moment she kissed Paul. That was when she knew, she knew that Archie was the one for and her.

After the kiss she went home and confessed to Archie. He had been mad at first, but then understood that it wasn't just her. They hired a manager for the winery and they focussed on their marriage first.

Lexie started walking again. She didn't know how to tell Iona the things she wanted. After she barely knew her sister-in-law, having only been back at the Big House for a six months and didn't want to offend her in any way.

'Well can't you talk to him?' Iona asked.

Lexie nodded. Iona was nice, and in the spirit of families she agreed. She just didn't know how to tell Iona the answer she knew she would get.

She would just have to add that to the list of things she needed to talk to her husband about.

[x]

When Iona walked away from Lexie she wondered why she wasn't her usual self. Maybe there was a lot on her mind. Starting to walk towards her own room, she heard a cry on the baby monitor and sighed. It didn't matter what happened, Ashley would not sleep for more than 15 minutes these days. Something was bothering and Iona prayed silently that it was only a phase and that it was as Molly said, a growing spurt.

As she headed back to her sons room she looked at the room opposite Ashley's. She remembered Molly telling her that once before she and Paul came to Glenbogle that a spy looking for the Cook fell through the roof. The room was never rented out, neither was any other room in the corridor of the house. Molly said that eventually it would become the children's wing again just like it had been one day long ago when Archie, Lizzie and Jamie were kids.

Iona, remembering that her son was crying slipped through the open door and went to comfort her son.

[x]

Paul sat down in the 'Laird's' chair in the dining room. He was hoping that when Archie came back to Glenbogle that he would be able to sit in another chair, that Archie would reclaim his position as Laird. But he hadn't. Paul looked at his brother who was reading the paper. He envied what he had, a family who loved him and supported him in whatever he did. Though Archie's family was his family, and the treated both brothers the same, there was a different connection between Molly and Archie. It was the same thing that he had with his own mother. Some days he felt like he was out of his depth and perhaps the lack of sleep in recent days was meaning that he was feeling a bit out of it.

'How is the Wolf?' Archie asked him suddenly.

'I haven't heard yet, but I am hoping that she will be ok.' He responded to his brother. Archie was never very talkative in the mornings.

'I'm going to head up that way later today to see give Golly some help. I can let you know if you want.' Archie suggested.

Suddenly Paul felt bitter. He was going to help Golly rather than help him with the Lairds duties in running a massive estate. Nevertheless he replied 'Yes thanks Archie that would be good, save me from the worry.'

Archie nodded at his brother before picking up his plate and walking out leaving Paul alone with his thoughts.

[x]

Lexie stared at herself in the mirror. Not in a vain way but in a questioning way. She was trying to prepare herself for the list of things which she needed to talk to her husband about. It seemed that the list was growing and growing, but never getting any shorter.

Suddenly Lexie could hear the doorbell ringing downstairs. The doorbell never run. Wondering what it might be she wandered down the stairs to find no one had answered the door. Unbolting the locks she opened the door and to her horror and surprise there was a baby swaddled in a basket on the doorstep with a note reading 'please look after her'…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4:

Lexie bent down and picked up the baby girl. She sighed and turned around, leaving the basket on the door step. She took the girl upstairs in the direction of Molly and Golly's room in the Big House. Though they lived in Golly's cottage Molly sometimes spent the night in the Big House when Golly spent the night or nights out on the estate. Molly also used the room during the day, as her own private room.

Lexie knew that Molly spent the night in the Big House last night to try and help Paul and Iona with Ashley.

Molly wasn't her own mother, but she was more her mother than her own mother and right now Lexie had no idea what to do. A tiny baby had been left on her doorstep and she had no idea why no one else answered the door, and why someone left a baby there in the first place.

There are a few reasons why a baby could have turned up. The first was that it is was probably someone's idea of a joke. Not a funny one but she wouldn't put it buy some people. The second is that someone on the estate decided that they cannot care for their baby so they are giving it to the laird to look after.

The third reason is that Archie had left the baby there as a hint. They had been talking about expanding their family in recent months and putting a baby on the front doorstep for her to find would be a pretty big hint that Archie wants a baby. After all they had been married for a long time now.

Though that reasons seemed the least unlikely to her, it was the first one that came into her mind. Archie had been dropping hints, and especially with Ashley around, the hints were becoming more and more obvious. But a real baby was a bit extensive.

Lexie figured that the most likely option of the three is that someone cannot look after their baby so they are giving it to the laird. Which would mean that she would by rights have to forfeit the baby to Paul and Iona.

But the thought of that made her uncomfortable. With Ashley only being a few months old, Paul and Iona hardly had time for another baby. And Lexie knew exactly what it is like to be an unloved baby. In the short time between the front door and the closed door of Molly's room Lexie already felt protective over the young infant girl, who couldn't possibly be any older than 1 week.

Lexie pulled one of her hands from out of under the baby girl and brought it up to the door. She held her hand there for a moment before knocking on the door.

'Come in.' a voice came from inside the room.

Lexie put her hand on the door handle and twisted it open.

Molly smiled when she saw Lexie's head come out from behind the door. The smile was followed by a look of surprise when she saw the baby in Lexie's arms. 'I know sometimes I miss things, but I am fairly certain I didn't miss my daughter being pregnant.' Molly said as Lexie moved towards her.

Lexie could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. She liked it that Molly thought of her as her own daughter, in the same way she thought of Lizzie. It is something that differed between her and Iona, who both married into the family. 'No, no, no. This isn't my baby.' Lexie said.

'Do we have a guest then?' Molly asked, feeling confused as to why Lexie had a baby in her arms that wasn't Ashley.

'I found her on the door step a few minutes ago. I didn't know what to do with her so I brought her up here to ask what you think.' Lexie asked. The small baby in her arms started to murmur so Lexie stood up and began to rock the baby gently.

'Is this another one of Archie's hints?' Molly asked. Lexie was shocked that Molly would have the same first thought as her. Molly, noticing her daughter's reaction continued. 'Don't act surprised Lexie, I can see the hints as well as you can.'

'That may be, but I don't think he would quite go to this level.' she said, continuing to rock the baby that was now crying. It took her a few minutes, but the little girl fell asleep in her arms once more.

'Hmm, that is true. The only other logical explanation is that someone has given it to the laird to care for. These old fashioned traditions sometimes get out of hand. This just means we have one more mouth to feed.' Molly said.

'Maybe we should inform the police, see if they can track down the mother, and talk to the local hospitals and see if they can give us any information about her.' Lexie said.

Molly nodded in agreement. 'For now we can just care for her and hope that her parents realise the mistake they have made.' Lexie smiled at Molly. She always knew what to do in situations like this. 'For the meantime, why don't you put her in a room in the children's wing.' Lexie nodded, then turned towards the door.

When she finally got there she looked up at molly. 'Thankyou.' Was all she said before she walked out the door…


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5:

Jess slipped her hand into Duncan's. Her father Golly was amazing with animals but she always worried that something would go wrong and that he would get hurt. Especially when the animal itself was hurt. Wolves were dangerous and this one was injured and could be unpredictable.

'Don't worry about your daddy Jess. He is the best there is.' Duncan said, knowing that she was seeking his reassurance. After all he and Golly had known each other for a lot longer than the daughter had known her father. Despite all that they acted as if they known each other for a lifetime.

'I know, it's just that the wolf is hurt. It would be unpredictable.' She said. Her voice was shaky, and not the strong voice it usually was. Duncan slipped his hand out of hers and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they anxiously waited for Golly to come out of the wolf pen. It was much larger than it was when they started, now ranging over a large area of land.

After what felt like a lifetime to Jess her father emerged, walking up one of the hills located in the wolf enclosure. He had the wolf wrapped up and was carrying it in his arms. When Duncan had radioed and told them that one of the younger wolves was hurt, she had thought that it was one of the newer babies that were born only a few weeks ago. Instead her father was carrying a young female, about a year old. She wasn't as big as some of the adults, but she certainly wasn't 'small'.

Duncan moved to the gate to open it for Golly, as his hands were full at the moment. After closing the gate behind the Ghillie, Duncan moved over the Ute tray where the wolf was being lay.

'She has a nasty gash on her leg.' Golly said as he pulled the sheet that covering the wound. Jess turned around and buried her face in Duncan's shoulder, becoming unwell at the sight of the infected would.

'I think a vet is going to be needed.' Duncan said, covering up the sight of the unpleasant wound.

'Paul isn't going to like that.' Golly said. There was once a time when he would have just shot the wolf, but with the funding from the government that they got from the wolves meant that rather than put it out of its misery they try and save it again. However money was rather tight at the moment and a vet was going to cost a considerable amount of money.

'He doesn't really have choice.' Jess said. The poor animal is in pain and needs assistance. 'I will call him on the radio, hopefully he picks up.' Jess said, walking away from the boys trying to get in contact with Paul.

Minutes later she returned having no luck, to see Archie standing in the midst of her father and boyfriend. 'Archie' Jess replaced the radio on her belt and stood next to her father.

'I heard that the wolf is going to need a vet.' Archie spoke directly to Jess and she nodded at him. 'I'm headed back to the Big House because your dad doesn't need me anymore. I can tell Paul face to face if you want.'

Everyone gave a sigh of relief, thankful that Archie was the one who was going to tell Paul. 'Thanks Arch.' Duncan said as he patted Archie on the back.

Archie nodded at the man who was like his brother and walked back to his 4x4.

[x]

Paul looked at Archie, his face blank. 'The grant we get from the government doesn't cover vet bills. That means we have to provide the money on our own.' Paul scratched his head. 'I'm not sure if you are aware but money is a bit tight at the moment Archie and a vet is expensive, especially for a wolf. I'm just not sure we can afford it.'

'I am well aware of the issue involving money. However I am only here to inform you of the situation.' Archie said. He made his way to the door, not wishing to talk about this with his brother. He was happy to work on the Estate and he knew about the government grant. It meant that unless an animal was on deaths door they could not put it down. But it did provide sustainability for the Big House. If Glenbogle became a wildlife reserve then they got a substantial amount of money, which in the end was just enough to keep them alive.

Of course the fishing and stalking still brought in money, but was now restricted to certain areas, but they were by no means small. It was the perfect compromise between the past and the future.

'Thanks Archie.' Paul wished that his brother would volunteer to help him, but he never did. And Paul was not going to admit defeat.

Archie waves goodbye to his step brother as he shut the door of the estate office and walked in the direction of the big house. It was his turn to cook dinner tonight so he headed for the kitchen door. On his way he remembered that Lexie had wanted to talk to him about something that morning. It seemed like it was a long time ago, but really it was only a few hours.

Right now dinner for the family though was more important, Lexie would have to wait until later tonight. Cooking dinner seemed to consume his entire afternoon on his turn. He didn't mind. For Archie cooking was a release, it was something he enjoyed. It reminded him of the restaurant that he had with Justine all those years ago and how she had meant the world to him at the time.

He could remember thinking that he could never love someone more that Justine, but then Lexie came along and even when he was dating Katrina, his true affections lay with Lexie. When she wasn't with him his heart hurt.

For something like this morning to occur made him worry. Could something be wrong with Lexie…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6:

Iona watched Lexie come down the stairs later that day, knowing that already she had forged a bond with the baby from the doorstep as she had come to her in need of some clothes for the baby. Obviously they were Ashley's clothes, but they managed to find some that could almost be gender neutral from when he was newborn.

Lexie had told Iona that she had gone to Molly for help on what to do when they had dressed the infant girl in Ashley's baby clothes. She marvelled at the strength of the relationship between Molly and Lexie, knowing it as very different to her own relationship with the matriarch of the family.

Where Iona was loved as a daughter in law, Lexie was a daughter and from what Iona had been told it seemed that both of the women, filled an empty hole in the heart of the other. That was something Iona would never get, yet she wasn't jealous in the slightest. She had a mother, whereas Lexie's was absent for long periods of time, and wasn't that close with her own daughter, like Iona was with her own mum.

When Lexie finally got the bottom of the stairs Iona spoke 'Have the others gotten back from the wolves yet?'

Lexie nodded her head. She felt mildly uncomfortable in Iona's company after she had asked her to ask Archie to help Paul. She didn't want to let her friend down, but she didn't want to force her husband to do something that would make him feel the way he had in years in the past. So until she figured out what to do she would remain with this feeling of confusion.

Not knowing what to do she smiled at Iona and walked in the direction of the front door to collect the basket that had been sitting there since the little girl had arrived. It was almost dinner time and Lexie wanted to have her thoughts straight before she spoke to Archie, knowing that he would be expecting her to tell him what she was going to tell him this morning.

She reflected on the things that had occurred since then, it seemed that since breakfast a million years had passed, Lexie barely even remembering what she ate for breakfast that morning.

When she got to the front door she was surprised to see that the basket was gone, wondering where it may have gone too. Shrugging her shoulders she decided that she would go and visit Archie in the kitchen before dinner time and maybe confess to Archie what was on her mind…

* * *

Just a quick update to clear a few things up. I'm not sure when I will be able to update again...apologies, but I hope you stick with me, as I promise things are about to get more dramatic!

Also just wanted to thank you! the reviewers, the followers, the favouriters, the readers etc. as you encourage me to continue this journey :D


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